Double Edged
by Lio
Summary: Two perspectives on a night spent out in the storm. KnivesXMeryl, KXM


**DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD**

Author: Lio  
Summery: Two perspectives on a night spent in the desert. KXM pairing.  
Spoilers: End of the series, possibly. If you don't know how the series ends, you might be confused, but otherwise it should be all good.  
Rating: R for sexual situations.  
Disclaimer: I am Jack's disclaimer. Without me Jack would not know that a 20-something college student does not own 'Trigun' and is not profiting from it.

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New notes as of 11/03/2008: I forgot to mention when I first posted that this fic is a one shot. Sorry (and a belated 'Thank You') to all the lovely people who wrote reviews, practically salivating for a sequel. If you like my brand of Knives X Meryl cruelty, check out my new story 'Painful' which will be updating every Friday.

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He had missed this.

The sudden thought, the realization, surprised him. It was surprising to be thinking anything at a time like this. The close, wonderfully pleasant distraction of her moving and crying beneath him.

"Oo.." Meryl moaned. Her clipped cries and his heavy breathing echoed off the rock walls surrounding the.

They were both free to make some noise this time. The heavy winds outside drowned out any sound they made. The house, along everyone who might stop them, was three iles away. He couldn't have planned it any better.

When her mandatory trip back to the Home Office had come, he had started looking for a place. Somewhere temporary, to be alone, for once. No devoting energy straining to keep the others in the house from hearing. He knew he wouldn't be able to control himself when she finally returned.

The cave, hidden in a nearby rock outcropping was convenient. The sandstorm that came with the setting suns was pure serendipity. They had managed to sneak out before the first blast had hit the area. The utmost care had to be taken in order for his brother not to notice.

As usual, his brother was the biggest obstacle.

"Knives?" she asked, confused.

He smiled down at Meryl, lowering his head and nipping at her neck and shoulders as he picked up the rhythm again.

He wasn't sure why he enjoyed himself so completely with her. He had preferred Legato when he had proven himself worthy of his Master's attentions. Midvalley had been entertaining at times and Wolfwood, when he could still be controlled, was... unique. He hadn't had a woman in quite a while, Monique being the only real female Gung-Ho Gun. And though the Cyclops had come to him willingly when the time came to give her tribute, the experience had been bland and he hadn't desired to repeat it. The Guns, at least the ones he had regularly selected, had all been exceptional in one way or another.

But this stunted, mousy, loud-mouthed, over-trumped insurance secretary was... strangely compelling in ways he had yet to determine.

Perhaps it was that she was the only one in that damned house that the four of them now shared who was realistic about life on this dust ball planet. Perhaps it was the distant resemblance to Rem that had so captured Vash.

Perhaps it was simply the way her small body folded into his arms. Even an old human codger who had seen them together during one of Vash's insufferable human-watching field trips had noticed. He had told Knives that his 'girl' was so tiny he could have stuffed her down his pants leg and could have walked back home without anyone noticing a limp. Angry, Meryl had all but launched herself at the old man, and he had had the distinct pleasure of pulling her back. She never liked being reminded how vulnerable her human form was in comparison to his. Didn't seem to notice how fascinating it was that her wrists and neck fit his hands like they were built for his grasp. It would have been so simple to just reach out and snap the little human in half.

Though she was still just a human, he didn't want to stop this anytime soon. Luckily, even if whatever bond they held was apparent enough for other humans to notice, his brother hadn't decided to. Yet. And he knew if Vash finally looked up and saw what was happening, it would stop. Strange how strongly he wanted this to continue. Stranger still how his recent observations worried him so.

"Knives..." she moaned.

Her voice sent cold shivering though his spine. He pulled her up off the sleeping bag and, still sunk deep inside her, settled her in his lap and pressed their torsos together. "Again." he whispered.

"What… Knives?" she asked, trying to recover from the sudden movement.

He did something very nice with his hips that made her throw her head back and yelp. "Louder." he said.

The way realization dawned across her face was downright perverted. "Knives." she said, defiant. Once more and she groaned, a grin now plain on her face. "Oh God, Knives..."

"Louder." he insisted.

She kept calling his name, and he let his hands drift down to clasp onto the small of her back. Sure of support, she leaned back, her hands threading through his hair. She watched as he leaned forward and fiercely bite his way down her midriff. His teeth left small, slivered blood blisters. Her grip on his head tightened as she made muted little whimpers, audible even as she bit her lip.

He pulled their torsos together again, without stopping. "Scream." he commanded through gritted teeth, digging his fingernails into her back.

Grabbed him behind his neck and pulled herself closer. Their noses touched and their eyes met. She smiled, vicious, her breath coming in short, shallow pants. "Mmmm… Make me."

And with great relish, he did.

Oh, but he had missed this.

* * *

Knives didn't kiss. Knives bit.

He had worried her neck like a dog with a bone the first few times, and had, when the damage started to become severe, moved onto sharp love bites that gravitated to her shoulders and collarbone. She had managed to get him to kiss her on the mouth a few times before she had to go back to the Bernardelli home office, but he had always used his teeth.

Now, floating in the afterglow that almost drowned out the storm outside he was delicately playing her ear with his teeth and tongue they tried to catch their breath.

The man was just as psychotic as that pre-Colonial emperor Caligula. Still. He had looks and skills and, however unintentionally on his part, made her feel good for the first time in ages. It was a pity that he hadn't missed her. She knew the gorgeous cooling body next to her was only hers to play with on a temporary basis. They had both agreed that, and even if she had gotten used to this quickly, didn't mean things could change. She would miss it when he finally cast her aside.

She knew he had been thinking about something. He was thinking about it now, touches pausing midway through, then continuing on as if nothing had happened. Well… if he couldn't tell her, there was no way she could get it out of him. Time had proven that.

She wondered if he was finished. The man's stamina was superhuman. Any other night she would have welcomed it, and usually did. But she had been traveling for three days straight. She was exhausted and despite her protests, he had insisted they sneak out tonight. Not that she wasn't impressed by the planning he must have put into it. She had never known this place was here.

Yet all she could think about was how it would have been nice to have been missed. Or at least trusted.

"I.. think Vash is beginning to suspect." He murmured against her ear.

She wondered why he had said that out of the blue, before she realized that he had been listening in on her thoughts again. "How do you know?"

"He's been asking me… questions," Knives said. "He asks where I was in the mornings when you were here and why I became more available after you left. He says that I seem to have calmed down a lot in the last few weeks and questions if it's the change of scenery. He asks me these things with heavy sarcasm, and right in front of the other girl, so I cannot retaliate."

"It might just be all in your mind."

He shook his head. "We are twins." That seamless stream-of-consciousness between him and his brother. It was how he explained most things to her. It made her remember that first night. How she tried to stop the flow of tears, Knives asking 'Don't you want to see how alike we are?' with the calm confidence of someone who already knew her answer…

"Are you saying we should be more careful?" she asked.

"If he understands what's going on, he'll make sure it stops," Knives said.

"Since when do you respect any of your brother's wishes?" she asked bitterly. He looked surprised. She turned over on her side, hugging the single pillow they had brought to her belly. "Look, just go to sleep. When we get back tomorrow I'll talk to him."

"About what?"

"About minding his own damn business."

"And you expect him to listen?"

"He'd better. I don't understand why he should worry about something that's none of his concern."

He had made damn sure it wasn't his concern. She had to point-blank ask Vash before he gave her the 'just friends' speech. Vash hadn't found her weeping in Knives' room, she would have laid even money he didn't even look for her. Knives at least, had given her something to wipe her face, listened to what was wrong, then offered to screw her into the mattress to help her forget. She still wondered why Knives had asked her in the first place. She hadn't even begun to understand why she had said yes.

"All life is his concern. He fears you are in danger." Even she could feel him looking at her funny. "He knows I am still a threat."

"And after you so accurately followed his instructions of opening up to humanity."

He pressed himself up against her back, one huge, long-fingered hand lacing through her short black hair. He seemed to vibrate with odd pleasure.

"Can we worry about this in the morning? I'm exhausted, I've…"

"…been traveling for days, and I won't let you sleep…" he finished for her as he played with a single strand. He sighed with mock-irritation. "Bitch, bitch bitch…"

"If you can read my mind, why don't you listen once in a while?"

"Come now, where's the challenge in that?" he turned her jaw to him with his index finger and kissed her. The kiss turned from as playful as they got, to vicious. The bastard knew he drove her nuts when he did the things he was doing to her mouth. She found herself clinging to his chest, lifted off the sleeping bags, all but in his lap when he finally let her go.

She was breathing hard when they pulled away. Calmly smiling, he pulled the pillow out of her grasp.

"Goodnight." He said, rolling over as he pulled the cover up and got comfortable.

She grinned down on him with bloody, bruised lips. "Bastard." She said, giving his shoulder a gentle push even as she curled up next to him


End file.
